Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/694236
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2016 10 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Farrugia said that in a recent House Busi- ness Committee meeting he went on record about his intention to call Magro "to air his views" on euthanasia. In February, the 56-year-old Magro had told Malta- Today that lawmak- ers should look at the legisla- tive models in S w i t z e r l a n d , G e r m a n y and Canada and said that e u t h a n a s i a should not be made easy, but should be regu- lated "by a strict le- gal framework." So far, Magro has not received any calls and al- though he coyly welcomed the news he reiterated that the debate needs to take place urgently. "I do not mind if the law is very restrictive, but people in my po- sition should have the option to choose. I do not want to impose euthanasia on anyone but at the moment I do not have a choice." Most ALS sufferers live between two and five years after the first signs of the lethal disease emerge and only 10% of people with ALS survive at least 10 years. Magro believes that he suffers from a slow progression of ALS and after meeting a fellow sufferer who is com- pletely paralysed but entirely lucid he is even more convinced that he does not want to live a life without dignity. Asked whether he agrees with the introduction of eutha- nasia, Farrugia said "I am a family doctor with hands-on experience in terminal care. I have devoted my life to being a lifesaver. I am not for euthanasia, but as a politi- cian I am ready to listen." While the family committee chairperson, Anthony Agius De- celis, concurred with Farrugia, the health committee chairper- son, Etienne Grech, also a family doctor, said "euthanasia is purely a health issue and can be dis- cussed by the health committee. However I will have to consult with my peers, including the ones in opposition, if the time is ripe to discuss this issue." He said that he is person- ally against euthanasia "and as a health professional I keep on do- ing my utmost to preserve life." However, Grech added he would not use sophisticated methods to prolong agony with terminally ill patients. In a letter sent to the Speaker of the House, Magro had requested to have the matter discussed by a conjoint meeting between the three committees, which was held in March. However, the meeting was scheduled to discuss the age of consent and Godfrey Farrugia had expressed his desire to have a separate meeting entirely dedi- cated to euthanasia. 'I don't want to live in indignity' In a soul-baring interview ear- lier this year, Magro had said that unless euthanasia is introduced he is resolute on taking matters into his own hands. He was diagnosed with ALS, a deadly neurodegenerative dis- ease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, some 14 months ago. "I do not want to be a burden on anyone. I do not want to be dependent on my family to eat, drink, wash or simply go to the bathroom. I will live as long as I can but once it gets to a point where I cannot live life in dignity I will commit suicide," Magro had said. Magro, who lost his first wife to cancer 17 years ago, says that he has the full support of his sec- ond wife and four children. Euthanasia can be classified in two categories: active euthana- sia, where a person deliberately intervenes to end someone's life by, for example, injecting them with a large dose of sedatives, and passive euthanasia, where a per- son causes death by withholding or withdrawing treatment that is necessary to keep the person alive. Euthanasia can also be divided between voluntary euthanasia, where a person makes a conscious decision to die and asks for help to do this, and non-voluntary eu- thanasia, where a person is un- able to give consent (for example, because they are in a coma) and another person takes the decision on their behalf, often because the ill person previously expressed a wish for their life to be ended un- der specific circumstances. Active euthanasia is only legal in Belgium, Holland and Luxem- bourg, where a person's life can be deliberately ended by their doctor or other healthcare professionals. The person is usually given an overdose of muscle relaxants or sedatives. This induces patients into a coma and then death. Assisted suicide and passive eu- thanasia are legal in Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, Canada and some US states. News Farrugia on euthanasia: 'As a politician, I'm ready to listen' ALS sufferer Joe Magro is calling on lawmakers to legalise euthanasia Godfrey Farrugia